Wire-spoked wheel



E. G. BUDD.

Patented Aug. 1, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

51A/verda fdward C.. Budd.

E. G. BUDD.

WIRE SPOKED WHEEL.

APPLICATION m50 Juni I. |918.

1,424,554. Patented Aug. 1, 1922.4

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED sTA'rps PAIENT OFFICE.

EDwAml o. BUDD, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, Asgmmm, BY MME ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro Bonn WHEEL COMPANY, or PHILADELPHIA, Pannen.. vANiA, A ooaroaa'noiii or PENNSYLVANIA.

WIRE-SPOED WHEEL.

Specication of `Letters Patent.

Patented' Aug. 1, 192e.

Application med June 7, 1918. Serial No. 238,704.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDwAim G. BUDD, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Spoked Wheels, of which I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wire spoked wheels and more particularly to the novel arrangement and construction of the wire spokes.

A broad object of the invention is to ar range the spokes of a wire spoked wheel so that the wheel is stronger and more efficient..

The wire spokes are preferably straight throughout their length and are arranged substantiall tangential to that portion of the wheel hub or a prolongation thereof which co-operates with an inner hub or other su orting means.

his application is in part a continuing pplication of co-pending application Ser.

o. 110,112 filed b me July 19, 1916 which has matured into atent N o. 1,299,400, issued A ril 1st, 1919.

urther objects, and objects relating to economies. of manufacture and details of construction, will definitel appear from the detailed description to fo low:

I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and means described in the followin specifications. My invention 4is clearly efined and pointed out in the appended claims.

A structure constituting a preferred einbodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which:

Fig. I is an inner side elevation of the wheel embodying the invention.

Fim II is an outer side elevation of the whee Fig. III is a cross-sectional view througjh the wheel and the driving hub, taken su stantiall on line III-III of Fig. I.

Fig. V is a detail, ragmentary view showing the wheel hub in crosssection and a prtion of the driving hub in full.

eferring to the drawings, und particularli` to Fig. III. the driving hub 5 is rigidly mounted or. the driving axle 6 of the vehicle. The inner end of the hub 5 forms an enlarged, exteriorly-inclined, pyramidal portion 7, which rtion at its rear end terminates in a ra ial flange 8 connected in an desired manner to a brake drum 9. A ba bearing 10 .is preferably interposed between a ball bearing retaining member 12 and an axle housing or casin 13 through which the' axle 6 extends. e member l2 is inter osed between theinner end of the hub 5 anthe brake drum and the hub has an interior -fiange 14 seated lon the angular portion 15 of the member 12.

The wheel hub 16, which is preferably formed of sheet metal, is shaped to telescope over the driving tub 5. This wheel hub is provided with a central pyramidal portion 161, the faces of which co-operate with the faces of the pyramdal portion 7 of the driving hub the two pyramidical` portions being complementaland the hub 5 being adapted to drive the wheel through the same. As shown-in Fig. I, there are ten faces on the portion 16A of the wheel hub and of course there is an equal number of faces on the portion 7 of the driving hub 5. Any number offaces may be ein yloyed as desired but preferably a relative arge number of faces is desired so that the pyramidal sections 7 and 16^ approximate cones. It is also obvious that any other desired form of driving connection between the driving hub and the wheel hub may be em loyed;

When the wheell hub is aced in position on the driving hub 5, it is detachabl retained thereon by means of a ca 17 which is screwed to the outer end of the driving hub and co-operates with wedging blocks 1 8 which enga a conical portion 19 of the wheel hub. T is form of retaining means is fully shown and described in Patent No. 1299400 which issued A ril 1st, 1919 on my co-pendin application lerial Number 110,- 112 filed uly 19, 1916, and will not be described further here as reference can be had to the `said patent for a more detailed description.

The inner enlarged end of the wheel hub is formed into an inclined liange 23 to which the hub ends of the spokes 24 of the inner set are secured. For the purpose of securing the spokes to the flange, theange is provided with pressed out channels 25 which extend longitudinally of the hub 16 and have sides which are perpendicular to the length of the spokes and the ends of the spokes which project through the sides of the chan nels have heads 25 for anchoring the spokes therein. The outer end ot' the wheel hub is ressed into an angular inclined portion 26.

his portion 26 has outwardly pressed semispherical seats Z8 in which the hub ends of the spokes 29 of the outer set are anchored. These ends of the spokes project through the semi-spherical seats and have inte rral heads 229 for anchoring them therein. he spokes of the inner and outer set intersect each other as clearly shown in Fig. III and the outer ends of the spokes are anchored in semispherical depressions 30 formed in the rim 31 of the wheel. In the illustrative form disclosed in the drawings, the outer' ends of the spokes are anchored in the depressions 30 by means of nipples 33 which are secured on to the threaded ends of the spokes and have semi-spherical heads 34 seated in the semi-spherical depressions 30.

The s okes of both the inner and outer sets are re erably inclined to the central plane of t e wheel and they are tangentially arranged with respect to the portion 16A of the hub 16; that is to say, the spokes 24 and 29 are so arranged that if extended toward the axle in the direction of their length, they would be tangential to a conical surface in which the lines of intersection of the faces ofthe cti-operating pyramidal portions Tand I6 of the driven and wheel hubs, all lie. For the purpose of illustration this conical surface is indicated in Fig. iv by the unes as which are extendedA in both directions from the portion 16 of the wheel hub to circles 36 and 3T; (Figs. I and II) on the conical surface. In Figs. I and II. the dotted lines 34 indicate that the spokes of the respective sets are tangential to these circles. As the pyramidally driven section 16 is many sided, it can beseen that it approximates a cone and for all practical purposes it may be considered as being substantially conical.

From the above descri tion, it is evident that the spokes lie in p anes substantiallv tan ential to the portion 16 of the wheel hub so t at any torque which is transmitted between the hub and the rim is transmitted through the spokes only in the direction of their lengths. By this method of arrange ment none of the tor ue is transmitted laten ally to the spokes, w ich, of course, is very desirable, as the spokes are not as capable of sustaining a lateral torque as a longitudinal one. The spokes are also straight throughout their length and are not bent adjacent their hub ends, as is customary in the art. When the spokes are bent adjacent the wheel hub, a more or less radial connection of the spoke ends to the hub is effected, While the bodies of the spokes are inclined from the hub towards the rim and to the central plane of the wheel. This arrangement is undesin able and objectionable because of the resulting danger of the spokes becoming ruptured or broken at their bent portions, under inluence of the strains to which said spokes are subjected. By mounting the hub ends of both sets of spokes in the respective pressed out portions 25 and 26, in the present construction, the spokes are straight throu hout their length and therefore the above ends with their defects are eliminated.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention, which I have here shown and described, is susceptible of considerable variation, and, therefore, I desire to claim the same specifically, as Well as broadly, as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination, supporting means, a wheel comprising a metal hub having a portion seated on Said supporting means, and a pressed out annular portion having pressed out channels with plane sides, and straight Wire spokes projectlng through the sides of the channels and arranged perpendicular to the sides of the channels and in lines substantially tangential to the hub portion seated on said supportin means.

2. In a wheel, the com ination of an inner hub, an outer hub, said hubs having compleniental pyramidal engaging surfaces, means for maintaining said hubs with said surfaces in engagement, a rim, and a plurality of spokes connecting said hub and rim, said spokes bein tangentially disposed with reference to t e cone defined by said pyramidal engaging surfaces.

3. In a wheel, the combination of an inner hub, an outer hub, said hubs having complemental pyramidal engaging surfaces, meansl for maintaining said hubs with said surfaces in engagement, a rim, a series of spokes connectin the outer end of said outer hub and the inner side of said rim, and a second series of spokes connecting the inner end of said hub and the outer side of`said rim the spokes of both series being tangentially disposed with references to the cone defined by said yramidal engaging surfaces.

4. Ina Whee the combination of a hub shell having an enlarged inner end and an annular series of hemispherical spoke seats formed at the outer end of said hub shell. a rim, a series of straight spokes connecting said enlarged inner end of the hub shell and the outer sideof the rim, and a second series of straight spokes anchored in said hemispherical spoke seats and connecting the outer end of the hub shell and the inner side of the rim.

5. In a wheel, the combination of a hub shell havin an enlarged inner end and an annular series of hemlspherical spoke seats formed at the outer end of said hub shell,

and a pyramidal driving seat formed between said enlarged inner end and said spoke seats, a rim, a series of straight spokes connecting said enlarged inner end of the hub shell and the outer side of the rim, and a second series of straight spokes anchored in said hemispherical s oke seats and connecting the outer end o the hub shell and the inner side of the rim.

6. In a wheel, the combination of a hub, a rim, a series of spokes connecting the inner end of said hub to the outer side of said rim, and a second series of spokes connectin the outer end of the hub to the inner side o said rim, each series of spokes comprising spokes disposed in opposite tangential dlrections with respect to the hub, thespokes being so disposed with reference to the hub and the rim that each spoke of the second series is embraced by pairs of intersecting spokes of the first series.

In testimony whereof, I affix my si ature.

EDWARD G. B DD. 

